Federal Table

My Federal table is complete except for the hardware! Big thanks to Tommy MacDonald for the inspiration to create this Federal table. In case you don’t know, Tommy is a graduate of the North Bennett Street School and is a master of the Federal style. I learned a TON of new skills on this project and there were a lot of firsts. I followed Tommy’s example and did a LOT of this by hand…I was nervous at first, but in the end, I learned that its actually a lot easier to wreck a project with power tools than it is using chisels! It’s also a lot more precise using hand tools, so I will be doing a lot more by hand from now on.

Firsts:

First handcut dovetailsFirst time making bandings other than just simple stripes (this has opened a whole new world, creatively)First time cockbeading. Hand mitered! After all of the work on the drawer, cutting the rabbets was nerve wracking!First time inlaying compound mitred cuffs! Crazy!First solid wood drawer bottoms, hand beveled with a plane

Now, I must admit that I skipped a few things that were on Tommy’s table, like the sand shaded fan. I don’t have access to a set of gouges, but I’m working on it! And I could not find holly or the materials necessary to make inlay tools for stringing, though I did some proof pieces. I’ll be making a full Federal bedroom suite and it will have the fans and stringing, no worries!

The pics show a large color difference, though that is not present to the eye, I think its the grain orientation and chatoyance playing tricks on the camera.

Finish was 3 coats of tung oil followed by 3 coats of shellac, then 2 coats of wax rubbed in with 0000 steel wool.

On the top surface, I wet sanded with oil to fill the pores in some, but I wanted a LITTLE texture, so I didn’t completely fill them. I knocked the gloss back with steel wool twice on this part, once between coats of shellac and once with the wax.

This piece seemed overwhelming when I saw Tommy’s but anyone can do this, really!

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15 comments so far

Very, very nice! Congratulations. I really like your end product . . . very clean with wonderful details and finish. Looks like you pushed the envelop and reaped the benefits of extending your skill set. I really like the bandings! I especially like the subtle split banding on the top edge . . . you got the Seymour brothers technique down pat!

I already knew that you were much more of a perfectionist than me. It really shows in this table. The level of execution in the tiniest details is evident in every photo. Congratulations on producing a true signature piece!

You can hold your head high on this one. I am new here and am blown away by the talent on this board. Nice documentation on the learning curve and hand vs power tools. That is a big part of it for me..and i have a long way to go to get this good,but appreciate the words of encouragement at the end.